


Clothes Maketh the Man

by Dimity Blue (Arnie)



Category: White Collar
Genre: F/M, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 14:45:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10699191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arnie/pseuds/Dimity%20Blue
Summary: What was wrong with his tie?





	Clothes Maketh the Man

"Oh, honey, no!"

El's tones of dismay stopped Peter in his tracks. "What? What's wrong?"

"Not that tie. What else have you got?"

Peter squinted down at the offending tie. "What? Is there a mark on it?" It looked spotless to him. He pulled it loose from his jacket and stared harder. Maybe the laundry had missed a grease spot. It wouldn't do for him to look grease-stained on his first day back after their honeymoon.

"It's...brown."

"Of course it's brown." Brown suit, brown tie. Brown shoes too, now he came to think about it; though El didn't seem bothered about them.

"Of course it's brown," El repeated, teasingly. She took the end of his tie and looked up at him. "Tell me, Special Agent Burke, do you have any other ties?"

"Hmm?" Peter knew she was talking but the words were lost. It was almost startling how blue El's eyes were - blue and looking up at him and... Peter blinked as the clock on the wall chimed.

"You need to go."

"I need to go."

A kiss later, Peter reached for his hat and got himself to the front door. He had to go. He had a wife to support. He couldn't be late on his first day back. But it was so hard to leave when El was there, in her dressing gown, with her hair still ruffled from the pillow.

He stole another kiss as she opened the door for him and reluctantly stepped outside. It wasn't until he was halfway to his car he realised her last words had been, "Don't worry about your tie. I'll fix it."

Peter stopped and stared down. What was wrong with his tie?

~~~

It wasn't until a few hours later that Peter got an answer. El turned up to take him out to lunch.

"What's this?"

El's dimples deepened as she answered, "Open it," before digging her fork into her mound of pasta.

Peter wasn't fooled; he knew she was watching. He opened the bag. "It's a tie!"

"Um hmm. Finish your lunch before you put it on."

"What's wrong with my tie?" Peter put his new tie to one side.

"Nothing, honey, it's just...brown."

"So's this one." Peter pointed with his fork and came close to dripping mascarpone sauce on his new, apparently superior, tie.

"This one has brown stripes," El said.

Peter looked his tie, then at the new tie. Brown or brown stripes, what difference did it make?

~~~

"How did your day go?"

Peter wrapped his arms around the genius he'd married. "People liked my tie."

"Of course they liked your tie."

"Even my boss liked my tie." Peter had noticed him looking at it. "He liked it so much I'm in charge of catching our latest person of interest."

"I don't think your tie had anything to do with that." El gave him one last pat then took herself off to the kitchen.

Peter wasn't sure. He gazed into the mirror. The subtle gold stripes between the brown seemed to give him a successful air. Like he wasn't just Special Agent Peter Burke, but Special Agent Peter Burke, go getter. Special Agent Peter Burke, the man in charge. Peter laughed quietly to himself. Or maybe it was just his turn to lead a team and his boss thought he might as well try to capture this elusive Caffrey guy.

The end.  
22nd April 2017.


End file.
